Earlier this evening, I was reading an excellent article at Salon by Mark Follman regarding former Powell Chief of Staff, Lawrence Wilkerson.  Nothing really new there, but it's nice to hear that Wilkerson is still blasting away at the administration, full force.  What struck me most was the following excerpt:

Today, Wilkerson continues to see an administration that punishes dissent, pushes a radical reinterpretation of the Constitution, and exploits executive power. "Brent Scowcroft said he didn't recognize Dick Cheney anymore," he said. "I don't know Dick Cheney as intimately as Scowcroft does, but I did see him as secretary of defense and now as vice president. I can tell you that 9/11 made him a paranoid, to the extent where I'm not sure his exercise of power carries with it reason."

:::

Which got me thinking about something really twisted I saw on one of the Sunday shows thanks to Al Rodgers this morning.  Just how paranoid is number two?  Find out, below the fold...with a FUN picture game.

[Picture warning, as well as snark disclaimer...]

I sit in a confined space with a right-wing idiot for ninety minutes a day.  We have absolutely nothing in common, except for the fact that we work for the same company and live close to one another.  He carpools to save money for the McMansion he's building; I do it to because I'm eco-conscious.  He listens to Rush Limbaugh; I listen to Howard Dean.  He knows absolutely nothing about the reality of what's happening in this country; I'm a Kossack.

I have initiated talks with him about every major issue confronting our country today over the past six months in transit.  I have not been able to break through the skillful wingnut programming that has been burned into his (smallish) brain by Rush, Hannity, O'Reilly etal,

except for one shining moment...

Recently on dKos, someone commented to the effect that gays should be embarrassed by Gay Pride parades.  I wanted to troll-rate, but held my finger because I think the comment came from ignorance about what Pride rituals are (historically) about.  The urge to trollify was also tempered because recently I had to explain this same history to my parents who--were in their twenties when the Gay rights movement came to life in 1969, are lefties, have a gay son (me!), and yet--knew nothing about the origins and underlying meaning of Gay Pride.  

And so, a big gay diary...

Call to action from Media Matters for America!  It appears CNN is in contract talks with Bob-"Plame leak conduit-traitor-whore"-Novak.  Let them know how that makes you feel as a concerned liberal / progressive / atheist / buddhist / KOSSACK...whatever! : )

From Media Matters:
"Last August, CNN suspended syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak, a frequent contributor to the cable news channel's programs, for uttering an obscenity and storming off the set. He has not been reinstated but is currently in negotiations with CNN to renew his contract (which is set to expire in 2006). Novak should not be a contributor to CNN. In the two years since he exposed former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV's wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA operative, Novak has made several contradictory statements about important issues in the case. In addition, he has a long history of spreading conservative misinformation on CNN."

Direct link to EASY CNN fill-in form:
http://www.cnn.com/...

IT TAKES 30 SECONDS!
SPREAD THE WORD!

Viable cures for serious illnesses may be five years down the road, maybe ten.

But we're NEVER gonna get there with the the Bush administration's current policy to kill stem cell science.

And a large part of the reason for the public's tacit acceptance of this is a simple lack of knowledge.  Simplifiy this debate.  Help people understand that 'stem cell research' doesn't mean 'putting babies in a Cuisinart'  (as Bushco would have them believe).  

A personal story from which talking points abound, in moreville...

The Watergate is a hotel and apartment complex. Watergate [the scandal] was named after it. So, why are we calling every damn scandal to come out of Washington 'something-gate.' Valerie Plame is the frigging VICTIM! (Among millions of others.) Okay, it's a churlish pet-peeve of mine, but can't we at least be a little more creative? I mean Travel-gate? GAK! I'll provide ten, then have at it folks.

Some of the below timeline/information is either paraphrased or excerpted from an excellent article by Seymour M. Hersh in the New Yorker, entitled `The Stovepipe.'

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?031027fa_fact

The gist of the article deals with what the CIA calls "stovepiping," or the release of data the agency has collected to the Pentagon and/or White House before it has been properly analyzed--a practice which has rarely occurred in Washington.  

At least not before the Bush administration took office.

Scooter Libby's creepy letter to Judy makes more sense by the minute.  I would wager he had something on Miller (the suddenly `found' documents?') and called her out to testify because he had turned states against Cheney.  

First, the call to action:
"...this is the rare case where this `source' will be better off if you testified."

Obvious and pointed call for Judy to testify as it would help Libby.  (Though Floyd Abrams' letter of reply to Libby cautions that his client, Judy, may not do just that.  But, I'd wager Floyd--no slouch-- was just expressing out of duty that his client's needs come first.)

Then, the wacked out Aspen line...

I'm headed to Ohio from NYC tomorrow to work for ACT and the AFL-CIO GOTV efforts (yes, I voted already).  I spoke with my mother (Akronite) today and she has been deluged by both KE and BC calls...and tolerates the repetitive KE calls while deploring the BC ones.

Questions:  Are phone efforts somehow cross referencing each other so there is not too much repetition?  This could be a major turn-off for some...??
Also, any other ideas for grass-roots GOTV efforts which DO NOT involve phoning besides door-to-door?